AND ITS EFFECTS UPON ANIMAL LIFE. 5 



— indicating a proportion of about 10 [)er cent, of carbonic acid present — that the 

 respiration became difficult. 



Seegeu and Nowak, in 1879, (13), believed they had demonstrated the presence 

 of poisonous organic matter in the e.\[)iretl breath, but tlie ([uaiitit}- found was so 

 small that they failed to determine its exact nature and properties. 



Hei'mans, in 1S8;5, (14), was unable to detect any oi-ganic matter in the atmos- 

 phere of a tin cage in which several persons had been confined for a number of 

 hours, and found that an atmosphere containing from 2 to 4 pei' cent, of carbonic 

 acid and 15 per cent, of oxygen was not toxic. 



Bi'own-Sequard and d'Arsonval, in 1887,(15), reported that the air expired by 

 men and dogs in a state of health has the power of producing toxic phenomena; 

 citing three series of experiments on rabbits where such phenomena were observed. 

 In the first series they injected into the vascular system of a I'abbit 4 to 6 c. c. of 

 fluid obtained by injecting from 15 to 25 c. c. of pure filtered water into the 

 trachea of a dog. In a second series, from 6 to 7 c. c. of a liquid obtained by con- 

 densing the moisture in the exhaled breath of a man, were injected into the aorta, 

 or into a vein, of a i-abbit. In the third series fi'om 4 to 6 c. c. of a li(piid, obtained 

 by condensing the moisture in the exhaled breath of a tracheotomized dog, were 

 used. The condensed liquid thus obtained was filtered and then injected either 

 into the jugular vein or the carotid artery. 



The symptoms observed were dilatation of the pupils and increase of the heart- 

 beat to 240, 280, or even 320 per minute, lasting for several days or even weeks. 

 The temperature remained noi-mal ; the I'espiratoiy movements were generally 

 slowed ; and usually there was observed paralysis of the postei-ior members 

 Choleraic diarrhcea was invariably present. Death usually took place in a few 

 days, or at the farthest in four oi' five weeks. As a rule, it appeared that larger 

 doses caused laboi'ed respiration, violent retching, and conti'acted pupils. A rapid 

 lowering of temperature, 0.5 ° to 5.° C, was sometimes observed. The appearances 

 that presented pos^ mortem were much like those observed in cardiac syncope. 



They believed they had discovei'ed a volatile oi-ganic poison in the exhaled 

 breath and the moisture condensed from it. This poison they believed to be of 

 the nature of an oi'ganic alkaloid, or a ptomaine not unlike Briegei''s ptomaine 



(16). 



In further reports, in 1888, (17), they state that none of eleven rabbits in 

 which the condensed pulmonary vapor had been injected into the vascular system 

 in doses of 12 to 30 c. c. survived, but of eight rabbits receiving an injection of 

 from 4 to 8 c. c, three wei-e living after the lapse of from four to five weeks, but 

 were then weak. When the fluid ^vas injected under the skin of the thorax and 



